New-ish Sony eBook reader apparently mangles PDFs

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So close. I’ve been eyeing eBook readers for a while now. I really can’t see myself spending $300 on one when I have gadgets like the Nokia 770 and iPod Touch that are capable of handling similar tasks and more. However, the E-Ink technology is pretty cool and the 7,500 page-turn battery life that Sony suggests is intriguing.

According to Gordon Meyer over at 43 Folders, the Sony PRS-505 eBook reader is pretty close to perfect until you try to drop a few PDF files onto it. "None of my PDF files were remotely close to readable on this thing," he says. He then details several different cumbersome options for converting PDFs to more legible formats but ultimately ended up returning the device. This is disappointing for something that claims it’s compatible with one of the most ubiquitous text formats around and the thought of spending $300 and then having to reformat and/or convert many of the files you want to read is silly. Does anyone have one of these that can speak to the PDF issues?